Significance for the Bahá’ís of North America of the Centenary of the Revelation of the Tablets of the Divine Plan

26 March 2016

To the chosen recipients of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablets of the Divine Plan, the Bahá’ís of the United States and the Bahá’ís of Canada

Dearly loved Friends,

We cannot allow this historic moment to pass without adding—to our message to the believers worldwide—a word to those whom the Author of the Divine Plan singled out for a sacred responsibility and whose triumphs and travails shaped much of the past century in accordance with His high expectations.

Soon after the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá determined that one of the principal objectives of His ministry would be to establish a community in North America under the banner of His Father’s Cause. He dispatched teachers, illumined pilgrims, embarked upon an unparalleled visit in His declining years, laid the cornerstone of your House of Worship, carved in fourteen Tablets addressed to you a divine mission, and “out of the abundance of His heart chose to bestow on His favored disciples, to the very last day of His life, the tokens of His unfailing solicitude.” Later, at a time when the believers in the Cradle of the Faith were hamstrung by persecution, when the light of the Faith in Europe was eclipsed by the growing spectre of another war, when the most vibrant center in central Asia was dismantled, and even the world center of the Faith itself was disrupted by a conflagration in the Holy Land, the “one chief remaining citadel,” the “mighty arm” that still raised aloft “the standard of an unconquerable Faith,” was, Shoghi Effendi observed, “none other than the blessed community of the followers of the Most Great Name in the North American continent.” He placed you—the Plan’s chief executors and its co-executors—among the vanguard of Bahá’u’lláh’s resistless legions.

Centenary of the Revelation of the First of the Tablets of the Divine Plan

26 March 2016

To the Bahá’ís of the World acting under the Mandate of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá

Dearly loved Friends,

Today at dawn, on your behalf, the members of the Universal House of Justice gathered with the members of the International Teaching Centre in the Master’s room at the house in Bahjí to commemorate that pivotal moment when the first of the Tablets of the Divine Plan was revealed by the pen of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá. Prayers from those wondrous Tablets were offered in thanksgiving for the glorious achievements of the past. Divine assistance was sought in support of the labours required in the forthcoming stage of the Plan’s unfoldment. And heavenly bounties were implored to ensure still greater victories in meeting the challenges of future stages, one after another, reaching as far as the fringes of the Golden Age.

The Divine Plan, that sublime series of letters addressed by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá to the Bahá’ís of North America between 26 March 1916 and 8 March 1917, constitutes one of the mighty Charters of His Father’s Faith. Set forth in those fourteen Tablets, Shoghi Effendi explains, is “the mightiest Plan ever generated through the creative power of the Most Great Name.” It is “impelled by forces beyond our power to predict or appraise” and “claims as the theatre for its operation territories spread over five continents and the islands of the seven seas.” Within it are held “the seeds of the world’s spiritual revival and ultimate redemption.”

In the Tablets of the Divine Plan ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá not only provided the broad vision necessary to carry out the responsibilities entrusted by Bahá’u’lláh to His loved ones, but He also outlined spiritual concepts and practical strategies necessary for success. In His exhortations to teach and to travel to teach; to arise personally or deputize others; to move to all parts of the world and open countries and territories, each meticulously named; to learn the relevant languages and translate and disseminate the Sacred Texts; to train the teachers of the Faith and especially youth; to teach the masses and, particularly, indigenous peoples; to be firm in the Covenant and protect the Faith; and to sow seeds and cultivate them in a process of organic growth, we find hallmarks of the entire series of Plans—each a specific stage of the Divine Plan shaped by the Head of the Faith—that will continue to unfold throughout the Formative Age.

Conference of the Continental Counsellors and Conclusion of First Century of the Formative Age

2 January 2016

To the Bahá’is of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

We address you these words from the gathering where, for five successive days, the Continental Counsellors have earnestly considered the implications of the next global Plan. Their insightful consultations drew on the impressive body of knowledge about the process of capacity building that is being generated in thousands of clusters worldwide. The numerous accounts that were shared in the course of the Conference attested the creativity, tenacity, and burgeoning abilities of the community of the Greatest Name and, above all, its reliance on the confirmations of the Almighty. There is a growing appreciation among people in all parts of the world of the efficacy of Bahá’u’lláh’s remedy for healing the maladies of society.

Before the first century of the Formative Age concludes, there lies a span of time that stretches between two anniversaries associated with documents of measureless significance. It begins with the centenary of the revelation by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, just as the friends are embarking on a new stage in the unfoldment of that Plan. It ends at the lapse of one hundred years since the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which was followed by the opening of the Master’s Will and Testament. With these thoughts in mind, and in preparation for their deliberations, the Continental Counsellors, led by the members of the Universal House of Justice and the International Teaching Centre, visited the House of the Master—the place where three of the Tablets of the Divine Plan had been revealed and where, a few weeks after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing. His Will and Testament had been read aloud to believers from four continents. In that sacred House, on the eve of the present Conference, passages were recited from those two Charters which, Shoghi Effendi explained, set in motion processes for the propagation of the Faith and the establishment of its Administrative Order. This was a fitting prologue to five days of consultation focused on diffusing more widely the light of Bahá’u’lláh and strengthening the ability of His institutions to act as channels through which His promised blessings may flow to humankind.

Appointment of the Continental Boards of Counsellors

27 October 2015

To the Bahá’is of the World

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

The Day of the Covenant, 26 November 20 I5, marks the opening of a new five-year term of service for the members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors for the Protection and Propagation of the Faith. It is with great joy that we announce the names of the Counsellors appointed for the coming term, whose number remains at eighty-one.

AFRICA (18 Counsellors): Mélanie Bangala, Mariama Ousmane Djaouga, Alain Pierre Djoulde, Clément Thyrell Feizouré, Agatha Gaisie-Nketsiah, Maty Issoufou, Musonda Kapusa-Linsel (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Townshend Lihanda, Sehla Masunda, Maina Mkandawire, Judicaël Mokolé, Aggrey Zeyazi Munubi, Albert Nshisu Nsunga, Ahmad Parsa, Iharinirina Rakotomavo, Nancy Oloro Robarts, Christopher Kiprotich Songok, Djamila Tchakreo

THE AMERICAS (19 Counsellors): José Luis Almeida, Ronny Brenes (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Beatriz Carmona, Brígida Carrillo, Ingrid Umpierr Conter, Daniel Duhart, Farah Guchani-Rosenberg. Sonlla Heem, Nwandi Ngozi Lawson, Boma Noureddin, Arthur Powell, Carmen Elisa de Sadeghian, Pejman Samoori, Bernardino Sánchez, Navid Serrano, Mark Sisson, Raúl Taboada, Shabnam Tashakour, Holly Woodard

ASIA (22 Counsellors): Jamil Aliyev, Vugar Alizadeh, Walid Ayyash, Jabbar Eidelkhani, Shareen Farhad, Nadera Fikri, Kam Mui Sayers Fok, Gloria Javid, Lee Lee Loh Ludher, Tarrant Matthew Mahony, Nibras Sarmad Moqbel, Delafruz Nassimova, Myint Zaw Oo, Sokuntheary Reth, Foad Reyhani (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Hesham Saad, Rajan Sawant, Omid Seioshanseian, Dregpal Singh, Zebinisso Soliyeva, Ircham Sujadmiko, Fang Jung Tseng Chung

AUSTRALASIA (10 Counsellors): Ritia Kamauti Bak ineti, Nadia Fifita, Kirk Johnson, Dinesh Kumar-Mills, Jalal Rodney Mills, Taraz Nadarajah, Daniel Pierce, Kessia Ruh, Tessa Scrine (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Henry Tamashiro

EUROPE (12 Counsellors): Naisan Azimi, Raffaella Capozzi Gubinelli, Olga Daradur, Aiste Elijio, Shirin Fozdar-Foroudi, Zoraida García Garro, Bernard Lo Cascio (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Sabà Mazza, Yevgeniya Poluektova, Mehdi Rezvan, Amir Saberin, Paul Verheij

The following believers, who have earned our abiding gratitude for their self-sacrificing contributions to the progress of the Cause, are being relieved of the duties of membership on the Boards of Counsellors:

Selam Ahderom, Sohayla Asari, Enkhdelger Banzragch, Soheyla Bolouri, Uta von Both, Ann Boyles, Maziar Djoneidi, Bijan Farid, Amina Jaouane, Saba Khabirpour, Ana Hilda de Lemus, Katalayi Mbombo, Firouzeh Moghbel-Naderi, Zowé Tiba Nganyadé, Lori McLaughlin Noguchi, Helen Otia, U’ileiuluwehi Pimental, Khursheda Porsayeva, Ganesh Ramsahai, Leticia Iturburo Rivadeneira, Daniel Scott, George Soraya, Alan Wilcox, Anita Vandella Williams, Tiati à Zock

We are confident that these dear friends will remain a source of inspiration and strength to the believers as they continue their dedicated efforts for the advancement of the Faith in the coming years. We shall offer supplications at the Sacred Threshold on their behalf, that divine blessings may surround their every endeavour in the path of service to Bahá’u’lláh.

The series of Plans that have been launched since I996 have focused the Bahá’í world on a single aim advancing the process of entry by troops. The great strides that have been made during the current Five Year Plan have fully prepared the community of the Greatest Name for the final thrust in the span of years that will culminate in the centenary of the Formative Age. We are calling the Counsellors from all continents to the Bahá’í World Centre for a conference from 29 December 2015 to 2 January 2016, during which deliberations will be held on the exigencies of the next Five Year Plan which will unfold during a period of time pregnant with rich possibilities and on the decisive role the Counsellors are to play, together with their auxiliaries, in the critical months leading up to its launch and in the years that follow.

We will offer fervent prayers at the Sacred Threshold that the consecrated exertions of these eighty-one souls may be guided and confirmed by the boundless grace and abundant favours of the Abhá Beauty.

The Universal House of Justice

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice 2001-2022)

Ridván Message 2015

Ridván 2015

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

The resplendent season of Ridván is at hand, and from the heights to which the community of the Greatest Name has attained, bright prospects are visible on the horizon. A vast terrain has been traversed: new programmes of growth have appeared, and while hundreds more must still emerge in the next twelve months, efforts to set in motion the necessary pattern of activity have already begun in almost every one of the clusters required to reach the 5,000 called for in the Five Year Plan. Existing programmes are gaining in strength, many showing more clearly what it means for the Cause of God to extend further into the social landscape across a cluster and within a neighbourhood or village. The paths that lead to sustained large-scale expansion and consolidation are being followed with firmer footsteps, valiant youth often setting the pace. Ways in which the society-building power of the Faith can find release in various settings are becoming more apparent, and those defining features that must come to mark the further unfoldment of the growth process in a cluster are becoming gradually discernible.

The call to carry out and support this work is directed to every follower of Bahá’u’lláh, and it will evoke a response in every heart that aches at the wretched condition of the world, the lamentable circumstances from which so many people are unable to gain relief. For, ultimately, it is systematic, determined, and selfless action undertaken within the wide embrace of the Plan’s framework that is the most constructive response of every concerned believer to the multiplying ills of a disordered society. Over the last year, it has become clearer still that, in different nations in different ways, the social consensus around ideals that have traditionally united and bound together a people is increasingly worn and spent. It can no longer offer a reliable defence against a variety of self-serving, intolerant, and toxic ideologies that feed upon discontent and resentment. With a conflicted world appearing every day less sure of itself, the proponents of these destructive doctrines grow bold and brazen. We recall the unequivocal verdict from the Supreme Pen: “They hasten forward to Hell Fire, and mistake it for light.” Well-meaning leaders of nations and people of goodwill are left struggling to repair the fractures evident in society and powerless to prevent their spread. The effects of all this are not only to be seen in outright conflict or a collapse in order. In the distrust that pits neighbour against neighbour and severs family ties, in the antagonism of so much of what passes for social discourse, in the casualness with which appeals to ignoble human motivations are used to win power and pile up riches—in all these lie unmistakable signs that the moral force which sustains society has become gravely depleted.

Significance of Mashriqu’l-Adhkár

18 December 2014

To the Bahá’ís in Iran

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

We hope that by now you have had occasion to study the message we addressed to the Bahá’ís of the World on 1 August 2014, in which the progress of the projects to establish Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs in eight locations throughout the world is described. In every case, these dawning places of His remembrance represent the rising influence of the Faith of God in society. The Bahá’ís of Iran are of course fully conversant with the concept of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. From the earliest days following the revelation of this law, the friends in the Cradle of the Faith became aware of its significance and committed to its realization within the limited means that their circumstances allowed them. In time, not only did they become the principal force for the construction of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in ‘Ishqábád, but within Iran too the practice of regular dawn prayers took root and inspired service to humankind, with the vision that the seed they were planting would in time flower into tangible reality, yielding its fruit not only in the construction of these centres of worship, but in the creation of dependencies for humanitarian service which that worship would inspire.

And so it was that, under the guiding hand of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a pattern of communal worship—the unity it engenders and the desire to be of service that it inspires—became an integral part of many a local Bahá’í community in Iran. In this regard, the Master’s vision provided for a variety of settings and circumstances in which the concept of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár could, in its embryonic form, be expressed. Consider His words in this regard:

Adversaries’ Efforts to Suppress the Cause

1 October 2014

To the Bahá’ís of Iran

Papua New Guinea comprises a group of islands in the vast expanse of the waters of the Pacific, far, far away from the Cradle of the Faith. We recently learned that your sacrifices have so inspired the believers in that vibrant Bahá’í community in their highly energetic response to the exigencies of the Five Year Plan that a group of them are working to make a television programme to bring to the attention of their compatriots the suffering that their deeply cherished fellow believers in Iran endure because of their adherence to the Cause. In so many ways that extraordinary region, Australasia—where, before long, four Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will shine out as beacons of the light of divine guidance and as testaments to the magnificent response of its population to Bahá’u’lláh’s call for unity and peace—is the embodiment of this emphatic promise by the Abhá Beauty regarding His Cause: “Should they attempt to conceal its light on the continent, it will assuredly rear its head in the midmost heart of the ocean, and, raising its voice, proclaim: ‘I am the life-giver of the world!’”

To be sure, there are those who wish to conceal this light—indeed to snuff it out—in the land where it was first kindled and shrink at nothing to this end. In recent months, there has been a marked increase in calumnies and lies, misinformation and untruths about the Cause. How utterly futile are their efforts! For the expenditure of energy and fortune on systematic campaigns to propagate falsehoods about your beliefs has, as you know, led to an upsurge in interest to study the Bahá’í teachings and its history.

Consider for a moment the reason for the rise in this interest. It is, of course, a well-known fact that when searching for the truth of a matter, one cannot limit oneself to the study of the statements of its detractors; for an unbiased judgement, the original source must be investigated. Consider what lies and calumnies have for 1,400 years been propagated by the enemies of Islam. Is the truth of the Faith of the Prophet Muhammad to be judged by the protestations of His enemies or by immersion in and reflection on the ocean of the sacred Word revealed to Him by God?

Progress in Raising up National and Local Houses of Worship

1 August 2014

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

Over two years have elapsed since our announcement at Ridván 2012 of projects to raise two national and five local Houses of Worship, to be pursued in conjunction with the construction in Santiago, Chile, of the last of the continental Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs. These undertakings, inextricably linked to the development of community life now being fostered everywhere through acts of devotion and service, are further steps in the sublime task entrusted to humanity by Bahá’u’lláh to build Houses of Worship “throughout the lands in the name of Him Who is the Lord of all religions”—centres in which souls may gather “harmoniously attuned one to another” to hear the divine verses and to offer supplications, and from which “the voices of praise may rise to the Kingdom” and the “fragrance of God” be diffused.

We are deeply moved by the response in every part of the world to our call. Particularly in the nations and localities recently designated for the construction of a House of Worship, we have witnessed the friends’ spontaneous expressions of joy; their immediate and heartfelt commitment to lend their share in carrying out the critical work at hand and to increase the dynamism of those activities integral to the emergence of a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár within a population; their sacrificial contributions of time, energy, and material resources, in a variety of forms; and their sustained efforts to awaken growing contingents to the vision of those edifices dedicated wholly to the remembrance of God that will be founded in their midst. Indeed, the ready response of the community of the Greatest Name augurs well for its ability to further these collective undertakings.

Implementation of the Badí Calendar

10 July 2014

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

The setting of the sun on 20 March 2015 will signalize the end of the year 171, the close of the ninth Váhid of the first Kull-i-Shay’ of the Bahá’í Era. We call upon the Bahá’ís of the East and West to adopt, on that auspicious occasion, the provisions that will unite them in the common implementation of the Badí‘ calendar.

In keeping with the principle governing the gradual unfoldment and progressive application of the Teachings, the provisions of the Badí‘ calendar have been set forth over time. The Báb introduced the calendar and its broad pattern of periods and cycles, months and days. Bahá’u’lláh provided essential clarifications and additions. Aspects were elucidated by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, and arrangements for its adoption in the West were put in place at the direction of Shoghi Effendi, as described in the volumes of The Bahá’í World. Still, ambiguities surrounding some Islamic and Gregorian dates, as well as difficulties in the correlation of historical observances and astronomical events with explicit statements in the Text, left certain issues unresolved. When responding to questions concerning the calendar, both ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá and Shoghi Effendi left these matters to the Universal House of Justice. Of its many features, three require clarification for the calendar’s uniform application: the means for the determination of Naw-Rúz, the accommodation of the lunar character of the Twin Holy Birthdays within the solar year, and the fixing of the dates of the Holy Days within the Badí‘ calendar.

Greetings on the Occasion of the World Cup

6 June 2014

Her Excellency Ms. Dilma Rousseff,

President of the Federative Republic of Brazil

Your Excellency,

In response to your kind invitation, we take pleasure in sending the following message on the occasion of the opening of the 2014 World Cup.

We extend our heartfelt greetings to the people of Brazil as they welcome the representatives of so many countries to their homeland for a celebration of sporting prowess. Few occasions can claim to embrace so wide a cross-section of humanity, comprising peoples of varied ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. It is clear to every observer that the sport that has brought these nations to Brazil is only strengthened by the marvellous diversity of the participants. To rejoice in this fact is to reject prejudice in all its forms. Truly, nothing is more striking about this extraordinary footballing spectacle than its capacity to reflect the global culture that has emerged in this age. And in summoning together the nations in friendship, it powerfully suggests that collaboration and common endeavour are possible in all things.

Humanity today is bound together in a global civilization. As the world advances in its organic evolution, let it reflect at this moment on the many qualities that the Brazilian people so admirably embody. For the path to peace will require expansive hearts, a passion for progress, unbounded creative energy, great resilience, a strength forged from diversity, and minds enlightened by the spirit of the age and inspired by the quest for justice. The peoples of the world are as variegated flowers in one splendid garden. Is any nation more fit to demonstrate this simple but essential truth than Brazil? In the vibrant, interwoven colours of this land the world can imagine its own dazzling future possibilities.

Restoration of the National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt

Ridván 2014

To the Bahá’is of Egypt

Dearly loved Friends,

With immense happiness we extend our loving greetings to you on this long-awaited occasion: the restoration of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Egypt after the lapse of more than a half-century. As recent events unfolded in your country, it became increasingly apparent that the informal arrangements in place over the last few decades would no longer be adequate for managing your affairs and channelling your energies towards the betterment of society. It is fitting then that a more formal structure emerge, notwithstanding that official registration cannot be contemplated. Every follower of the Greatest Name will rejoice at this reemergence of administrative institutions in one of the most venerable Bahá’í communities in the world. We are confident that many of your compatriots who have shown their commitment to a diverse and tolerant society will share your gladness at this historic juncture.

Established during the ministry of Bahá’u’lláh, your community owes its origin to the arrival of two pioneers, who took up their residence in Egypt in 1868. That same year, your country was honoured beyond measure by the presence of the Ancient Beauty at its shores, when His steamer docked in Alexandria for two days before He and His company of exiles changed ship and set sail for Port Said en route to Akká. In your precious land, some of the Faith’s earliest Arab adherents and admirers were raised and many notable believers contributed to its rapid growth. The establishment of new centres, as well as the creation of the Bahá’í agency in Alexandria founded for the purpose of the dispatch and distribution of Bahá’u’lláh’s correspondence, was yet another feat of your spiritual forebears.

Ridvan Message 2014

Ridván 2014

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

A full three years have passed since the inception of the current stage in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, an undertaking that binds together the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in one united spiritual endeavour. Just two years separate the friends of God from its fixed conclusion. The two essential movements which continue to propel the process of growth—the steady flow of participants through the sequence of training institute courses and the movement of clusters along a continuum of development—have both been immensely reinforced by the outpouring of energy released at the youth conferences held last year. The expanded capacity the Bahá’í world has acquired for mobilizing large numbers of young people in the field of service can now yield further fruit. For in the time that remains, the critical tasks of strengthening existing programmes of growth and beginning new ones urgently beckon. The community of the Greatest Name is well positioned, before the expiration of this period, to add to the clusters where such programmes have already emerged the two thousand that remain of the goal.

How glad we are to see that this endeavour is being vigorously advanced across the far-flung regions of the globe, and in a diversity of circumstances and settings, in clusters already numbering some three thousand. Many clusters are at a point where momentum is being generated through the implementation of a few simple lines of action. In others, after successive cycles of activity, the number of individuals taking initiative within the framework of the Plan has increased and the pitch of activity intensified; as the quality of the process of spiritual education is enhanced through experience, souls are more readily attracted to participate in it. From time to time, there may be a lull in activity or an obstacle to the way forward; searching consultation on the reasons for the impasse, combined with patience, courage, and perseverance, enables momentum to be regained. In more and more clusters, the programme of growth is increasing in scope and complexity, commensurate with the rising capacity of the Plan’s three protagonists—the individual, the community, and the institutions of the Faith—to create a mutually supportive environment. And we are delighted that, as anticipated, there are a growing number of clusters where a hundred or more individuals are now facilitating the engagement of a thousand or more in weaving a pattern of life, spiritual, dynamic, transformative. Underlying the process even from the start is, of course, a collective movement towards the vision of material and spiritual prosperity set forth by Him Who is the Lifegiver of the World. But when such large numbers are involved, the movement of an entire population becomes discernible.

Message to Bahá’í Youth in Iran

29 January 2014

To the Bahá’í youth in the Cradle of the Faith

Almost a year has passed since we called the Bahá’í youth throughout the world to a higher recognition of the significant contribution they are to make to the regeneration of the world and the unity of its peoples, and invited them to join those in the vanguard of service to humankind. In doing so they were asked to recognize that countless other young people aspire to the same vision of unity, justice, and prosperity by which they themselves have been galvanized. To consider this critical responsibility, we encouraged them to participate together with their close friends in an unprecedented series of 114 conferences spanning the globe.

The conferences were an occasion for the participants to reflect on the astonishing powers and unique capacities associated with the period of youth and to consider deeply those societal forces that exert themselves on the youth—forces that aim to distract them from significant social change, weaken their commitment to service, ensnare them in consumerism, and dissuade them from belief in their own God-given capacity and that of others. The participants considered, too, practical ways in which to counter those effects, build bonds of friendship and profound connection, promote unity, and equip themselves with the concepts needed to succeed in constructing a new world through collective endeavour.

The admirable response of the Bahá’í youth and thousands of their friends offered another glimpse of the fulfilment of Bahá’u’lláh’s hope that in the heyday of life and their prime of youth souls would arise in service. By any measure—the strenuous and at times heroic efforts they made to attend, the depth of understanding and insight they attained, or the enthusiasm and determination they demonstrated to transform their world and serve their society—the initial outcome of these gatherings was extraordinary.

Centenary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Return to the Holy Land

5 December 2013

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

When He arrived in the Holy Land, exactly one hundred years ago today, at the conclusion of His “epoch-making journeys” to Egypt and the West, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá eschewed any ceremony or fanfare just as He had at His departure. But between His going and His return, a defining period in Bahá’í history had unfolded—a “glorious chapter”, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, during which “seeds of undreamt-of potentialities” had been sown, “with the hand of the Centre of the Covenant Himself”, in the “fertile fields” to the west.

The accounts of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’s travels and of the effect He had on those who met Him are legion. Some went to extraordinary lengths to enter His presence—going by boat, by foot, or even under railway trains—and, by the urgency of their desire to see Him, imprinted themselves on the consciousness of future generations of adults and children. The testimonies of those who were transformed by even a brief, sometimes near wordless encounter with their beloved Master remain deeply stirring. In the wide array of visitors He received—rich and poor, black and white, indigenous and émigré—the universal embrace of His Father’s Faith was unmistakably in evidence. It is impossible to adequately gauge the full scope of what ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá accomplished within this period. Many of the seeds He planted, and which He nurtured towards maturity through an extensive correspondence that He maintained until the end of His life, would blossom into a steadfast community capable of bearing the great weight of work in the years to come, supporting the first structures of national Bahá’í administration and beginning to act on the Master’s longing that the divine teachings be brought to every city and shore.

History of the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad

7 July 2013

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

A century and a half ago, Bahá’u’lláh departed His House in Baghdad for the Najíbíyyih Garden, where He would, for the first time, openly disclose His prophetic mission. He left behind Him an edifice of surpassing sacredness that had sheltered Him for seven years. This sanctified residence, to which the Blessed Beauty would never return, was styled by Him the “Most Great House”; designated, along with the House of the Báb in Shiraz, as the place of Bahá’í pilgrimage; and addressed, by the Supreme Pen, in these stirring words:

“I testify that thou art the scene of His transcendent glory, His most holy habitation. Out of thee hath gone forth the Breath of the All-Glorious, a Breath that hath breathed over all created things, and filled with joy the breasts of the devout that dwell in the mansions of Paradise.”

Yet, in His own lifetime, the House in Baghdad was subjected to mistreatment, and ownership of the building was temporarily wrested from His followers. Bahá’u’lláh foretold, in poignant terms, the further degradation that would befall His House:

“This is not the first humiliation inflicted upon My House. In days gone by the hand of the oppressor hath heaped indignities upon it. Verily, it shall be so abased in the days to come as to cause tears to flow from every discerning eye. Thus have We unfolded to thee things hidden beyond the veil, inscrutable to all save God, the Almighty, the All-Praised.”

Events over the last one hundred and fifty years have borne out that to which Bahá’u’lláh had thus alluded. The House in Baghdad was acquired for His use about twenty-five years after its construction, which is thought to have occurred in 1830. By the early 1900s, it had fallen into total disrepair. When conditions were propitious, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá arranged for it to be fully rebuilt, from the foundation upwards. As this work was nearing completion, efforts to seize the building by those opposing the Faith intensified, culminating in a wholly spurious claim to ownership that was unjustly endorsed by the courts. Again, the Most Great House was taken from the Bahá’ís.

Message to the 114 Youth Conferences throughout the world

1 July 2013

To the participants in the forthcoming 114 youth conferences throughout the world

Dearly loved Friends,

When the exalted figure of the Báb, aged just twenty-five, arose to deliver His revolutionizing message to the world, many among those who accepted and spread His teachings were young, even younger than the Báb Himself. Their heroism, immortalized in all its dazzling intensity in The Dawn-Breakers, will illumine the annals of human history for centuries to come. Thus began a pattern in which every generation of youth, drawing inspiration from the same divine impulse to cast the world anew, has seized the opportunity to contribute to the latest stage in the unfolding process that is to transform the life of humankind. It is a pattern that has suffered no interruption from the time of the Báb to this present hour.

The lifelong exertion and sacrifice of your spiritual forebears did much to establish the Faith in diverse lands and to hasten the appearance of a global community of purpose. Though the tasks that lie before you are not the same as theirs, the responsibilities with which you are entrusted are no less vital. After many a decade, the world-embracing labours of this far-flung community to obtain a more adequate understanding of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh and to apply the principles it enshrines have culminated in the emergence of a potent framework for action, refined through experience. You are fortunate to be familiar with its methods and approaches now so well established. Through perseverance in their implementation, many of you will already have seen for yourselves signs of the society-building power of the divine teachings. At the conference you attend, you are being invited to consider the contribution that can be made by any young person who wishes to answer Bahá’u’lláh’s summons and help to release that power. To assist you, a number of themes have been identified for you to explore, beginning with looking at your current time of life.

Across the world are to be gathered, in scores of youth conferences sharing the same aim, tens of thousands who have much in common. Although your realities are shaped by a broad diversity of circumstances, yet a desire to bring about constructive change and a capacity for meaningful service, both characteristic of your stage of life, are neither limited to any race or nationality, nor dependent upon material means. This bright period of youth you share is experienced by all—but it is brief, and buffeted by numerous social forces. How important it is, then, to strive to be among those who, in the words of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, “plucked the fruit of life”.

Regarding the Eleventh International Bahá’í Convention and the ongoing persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran

10 May 2013

To the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in Iran

Dearly loved Friends,

The arrival in the Holy Land of over a thousand delegates representing Bahá’í national communities throughout the world to attend the Eleventh International Bahá’í Convention was characterized by such enthusiasm and majesty as to bring tears of joy. The gathering of these servants of Bahá’u’lláh—men and women from different ethnic and racial backgrounds—reflected the diversity of the human race itself, demonstrated a new phase in the penetration of the Faith in local communities and among multitudinous peoples of all continents, and told of the confirmations of the Concourse on high and the results of the untiring efforts of the followers of the Blessed Beauty to build the Kingdom of God on earth. The election of the members of the Universal House of Justice took place in an atmosphere of purity, spirituality, amity, and love, devoid of the corruption often associated with elections in this material world. In each of the sessions, in the course of the consultations about the worldwide accomplishments of the Bahá’í community, the discernible effects of the spiritual forces released by your sacrifices were evident. A beautiful bouquet of roses kept the memory of the beloved friends in the Cradle of the Faith ever fresh in everyone’s mind. On the second day of the Convention, having listened to expressions of your earnest love for the Blessed Beauty and your dedication to the progress of His Cause, a group of delegates from Africa sang an inspiring song as a tribute to you. As the delegates visited the Holy Shrines, they offered heartfelt prayers on your behalf, and throughout the Convention, their remembrance of you evoked in their hearts these sentiments expressed by the Master: “Gathered in fellowship are we, in the holy court are we, dwellers of Paradise are we; would that thou wert here, would that thou wert here!”

Convening an additional 19 Youth Conferences

1 May 2013

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

So overwhelming has been the response of the Bahá’í youth and their friends—indeed, of Bahá’í communities worldwide—to the announcement of 95 conferences to be convened around the world between July and October, that existing arrangements now seem unlikely to accommodate the number of youth wishing to attend, and it is apparent that a further complement of gatherings is therefore required. With great joy, we take this opportunity, when the members of National Spiritual Assemblies are gathered in consultation at the Eleventh International Bahá’í Convention, to announce today our decision to convene an additional 19 conferences in the following locations: Bertoua, Bidor, Biratnagar, Brisbane, Cagayan de Oro, Georgetown (Guyana), Houston, Kampong Thom, Kigoma, Los Angeles, Mahikeng, Milne Bay, Minneapolis, Montreal, Nuku’alofa, Nundu (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Seattle, Vientiane, and Washington, D.C.

This welcome development is indicative of the magnitude of the reservoirs of energy and devotion that the youth possess. Every effort must be made to assist them to continue to act on their responsibilities, and we look to them to expand the horizons of what the Bahá’í community can accomplish. We offer thanks to the Blessed Beauty for endowing His youthful followers with an immense collective capacity for service, and we beseech Him that it might be realized in benefit to humankind.

The Universal House of Justice

(Online Baha’i Reference Library of the Baha’i World Center)

Ridván Message 2013

Ridván 2013

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

“The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him.” In such exhilarating terms does the Supreme Pen describe the advent of the day of union and ingathering. Bahá’u’lláh continues: “Incline your ears, O friends of God, to the voice of Him Whom the world hath wronged, and hold fast unto whatsoever will exalt His Cause.” He further exhorts His followers: “With the utmost friendliness and in a spirit of perfect fellowship take ye counsel together, and dedicate the precious days of your lives to the betterment of the world and the promotion of the Cause of Him Who is the Ancient and Sovereign Lord of all.”

Beloved co-workers: This stirring pronouncement comes to mind unbidden when we see your consecrated efforts around the world in answer to the call of Bahá’u’lláh. The splendid response to His summons can be witnessed on every side. To those who pause to reflect on the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, it becomes impossible to ignore how the power possessed by the Word of God is ascendant in the hearts of women and men, children and youth, in country after country, in cluster after cluster.

A worldwide community is refining its ability to read its immediate reality, analyse its possibilities, and apply judiciously the methods and instruments of the Five Year Plan. As anticipated, experience is most rapidly accumulating in clusters where the frontiers of learning are being consciously advanced. In such places, the means for enabling an ever-rising number of individuals to strengthen their capacity for service are well understood. A vibrant training institute functions as the mainstay of the community’s efforts to advance the Plan and, as early as possible, skills and abilities developed through participation in institute courses are deployed in the field. Some, through their everyday social interactions, encounter souls who are open to the exploration of spiritual matters carried out in a variety of settings; some are in a position to respond to receptivity in a village or neighbourhood, perhaps by having relocated to the area. Growing numbers arise to shoulder responsibility, swelling the ranks of those who serve as tutors, animators, and teachers of children; who administer and coordinate; or who otherwise labour in support of the work. The friends’ commitment to learning finds expression through constancy in their own endeavours and a willingness to accompany others in theirs. Further, they are able to keep two complementary perspectives on the pattern of action developing in the cluster firmly in view: one, the three-month cycles of activity—the rhythmic pulse of the programme of growth—and the other, the distinct stages of a process of education for children, for junior youth, and for youth and adults. While understanding clearly the relationship that connects these three stages, the friends are aware that each has its own dynamics, its own requirements, and its own inherent merit. Above all, they are conscious of the operation of powerful spiritual forces, whose workings can be discerned as much in the quantitative data that reflect the community’s progress as in the array of accounts that narrate its accomplishments. What is especially promising is that so many of these distinctive and salient features which characterize the clusters furthest advanced are also evident in communities at much earlier points in their development.

Non-involvement in partisan politics

2 March 2013

To the Bahá’ís of Iran

Dearly loved Friends,

For three and a half decades now, wave after wave of persecution, varying in intensity, has battered your sorely tried and valiant community, a barrage that is but the latest in a series unleashed over one hundred and sixty years ago. Yet, contrary to the expectations of those bent on sapping the strength of the community of Bahá’u’lláh’s followers in His homeland, their machinations have served ultimately to reinforce its foundations and fortify its ranks. More and more of your compatriots, themselves victims of oppression, not only see clearly the trail of injustices that have been perpetrated against Bahá’ís down the years but also recognize in your unbroken record of disinterested service to society a force of constructive change. As sympathy towards you continues to grow, so do the voices calling for the removal of the obstacles that have prevented you from participating in the life of society in all of its dimensions. Not surprisingly, then, questions regarding the posture held by Bahá’ís everywhere towards political activity have taken on greater significance in the eyes of your fellow citizens.

Historically, of course, the position in which the Iranian Bahá’í community has found itself in this respect has been a peculiar one. It has been falsely accused, on the one hand, of being politically motivated, leagued against the prevailing regime—the agent of whatever foreign power the accuser finds most convenient to his purpose. On the other hand, the uncompromising refusal of the members of the community to participate in partisan political activity has been portrayed as a lack of concern for the affairs of the Iranian people. Now that the true intentions of your oppressors have been laid bare, it behoves you to respond to the growing interest of your fellow citizens in understanding the Bahá’í attitude towards politics, lest misconceptions be allowed to weaken the bonds of friendship you are establishing with so many souls. In this, they deserve more than a few statements, however important, that evoke images of love and unity. To assist you in conveying to them a vision of the framework that shapes the Bahá’í approach to the subject, we are providing you with the comments below.

Inseparable from the Bahá’í perspective on politics is a particular conception of history, its course and direction. Humanity, it is the firm conviction of every follower of Bahá’u’lláh, is approaching today the crowning stage in a millennia-long process which has brought it from its collective infancy to the threshold of maturity—a stage that will witness the unification of the human race. Not unlike the individual who passes through the unsettled yet promising period of adolescence, during which latent powers and capacities come to light, humankind as a whole is in the midst of an unprecedented transition. Behind so much of the turbulence and commotion of contemporary life are the fits and starts of a humanity struggling to come of age. Widely accepted practices and conventions, cherished attitudes and habits, are one by one being rendered obsolete, as the imperatives of maturity begin to assert themselves.

Convocation of 95 youth conferences around the world

8 February 2013

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

Within communities of every size and strength, we are glad to see the processes of the Five Year Plan kindling the spirit of service and stimulating purposeful action. Examples appear every day of how the act of reaching out to touch individual hearts, acquainting souls with the Word of God, and inviting them to contribute to the betterment of society can, in time, tend to the advancement of a people. This collective movement becomes discernible when the Plan’s elements are combined into a well-coordinated cluster-wide effort, the dynamics of which are becoming increasingly familiar. Such a cluster becomes the setting for experienced believers as much as those newly introduced to the Faith, whatever their age or background, to work side by side, accompanying one another in their service, enabling everyone to participate in the unfoldment of the Plan.

From the panorama of the Bahá’í world engaged in earnest activity, one phenomenon strikes us especially: the decisive contribution made by youth on every continent. In this phenomenon we see the vindication of the hopes the beloved Guardian invested in them “for the future progress and expansion of the Cause” and of the confidence with which he laid upon their shoulders “all the responsibility for the upkeep of the spirit of selfless service among their fellow-believers”. We are struck, too, by the number of youth who, after only a brief association with the Bahá’í community, commit themselves to meaningful acts of service and quickly discover their affinity with the Faith’s community-building endeavour. Indeed, in contemplating both the Bahá’í youth and their like-minded peers, we cannot but rejoice at their eagerness to take on a measure of responsibility to aid the spiritual and social development of those around them, especially ones younger than themselves. In an age consumed by self-interest, in which even spiritual affiliation is weighed in the scales of reward and personal satisfaction, it is heartening to encounter individuals from their mid-teens to their twenties—those upon whom the sights of an aggressive materialism are decidedly trained—who are galvanized by the vision of Bahá’u’lláh and are ready to put the needs of others before their own. That such high-minded youth, by dint of their own exertions as well as the momentum they lend to the whole community, should be contributing so effectively to efforts everywhere under way bodes well for the anticipated acceleration of these efforts.

Regarding the ongoing persecution of the Baha'i community in Iran

11 May 2012

To the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in Iran

The approaching anniversary of the illegal arrest and imprisonment of the former members of the Yárán and the co-workers of the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) is a reminder of the persecution endured by those beloved friends and other selfless believers in the Cradle of the Faith. Four years have passed since the imprisonment of the former members of the Yárán. Fierce opposition to the peaceful struggle of the Bahá’í youth for access to higher education continues unabated, and those who served the Institute remain imprisoned for no reason other than that they strove to advance the cause of education and promote knowledge and learning.

Although the magnitude of these inequities has elicited expressions of sympathy from informed observers throughout the world, the relentless persecution of the Bahá’í community nevertheless continues to intensify, and the scope of the appalling and inhumane oppression has been broadened to include children and youth. The world recently witnessed, with shock and dismay, how a two-year-old was sent to prison in the company of his mother and endured several days in confinement with her. A teacher mercilessly beat and then burned the hand of an innocent child at school for not taking part in congregational prayers. Government agents forcibly entered a home, violently breaking down a door and, before the terrified eyes of a seven-year-old child and his teen-aged sister, arrested their mother.

At a time when Bahá’ís continue to be denied employment in the public sector, many of those working in the private sector are seeing their workplaces attacked, searched, or closed on spurious pretexts. Bahá’í school teachers and university professors who are denied public employment are also being debarred from offering private tuition, with the excuse that this affords them opportunities to teach the Faith. The services rendered by Bahá’ís to society, and even their everyday activities, are labelled as “plotting against national security”. The ominous scope of this appalling hatred and enmity extends even to the dead. Not only do systematic and persistent attacks on Bahá’í cemeteries and the destruction of graves continue, but in certain regions the believers are even denied the right to bury their dead according to Bahá’í rites. Felling the trees painstakingly cultivated in these cemeteries is another way of showing disrespect towards the departed and of bringing psychological pressure to bear upon the believers. Bahá’ís are forbidden to place flowers on the graves of their loved ones, since this too is deemed to be teaching their Faith. How astonishing that even defenceless animals raised on a farm owned by a Bahá’í are not spared the cruelty of the hate-mongers.

Ridvan Message 2012

Ridván 2012

To the Bahá’ís of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

Midafternoon on the eleventh day of the Ridván festival one hundred years ago, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, standing before an audience several hundred strong, lifted a workman’s axe and pierced the turf covering the Temple site at Grosse Pointe, north of Chicago. Those invited to break the ground with Him on that spring day came from diverse backgrounds—Norwegian, Indian, French, Japanese, Persian, indigenous American, to name but a few. It was as if the House of Worship, yet unbuilt, was fulfilling the wishes of the Master, expressed on the eve of the ceremony, for every such edifice: “that humanity might find a place of meeting” and “that the proclamation of the oneness of mankind shall go forth from its open courts of holiness”.

His listeners on that occasion, and all who heard Him in the course of His travels to Egypt and the West, must have but dimly comprehended the far-reaching implications of His words for society, for its values and preoccupations. Still today, can anyone claim to have glimpsed anything but an intimation, distant and indistinct, of the future society to which the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh is destined to give rise? For let none suppose that the civilization towards which the divine teachings impel humankind will follow merely from adjustments to the present order. Far from it. In a talk delivered some days after He laid the cornerstone of the Mother Temple of the West, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated that “among the results of the manifestation of spiritual forces will be that the human world will adapt itself to a new social form,” that “the justice of God will become manifest throughout human affairs”. These, and countless other utterances of the Master to which the Bahá’í community is turning time and again in this centennial period, raise awareness of the distance that separates society as it is now arranged from the stupendous vision His Father gifted to the world.

Alas, notwithstanding the laudable efforts, in every land, of well-intentioned individuals working to improve circumstances in society, the obstacles preventing the realization of such a vision seem insurmountable to many. Their hopes founder on erroneous assumptions about human nature that so permeate the structures and traditions of much of present-day living as to have attained the status of established fact. These assumptions appear to make no allowance for the extraordinary reservoir of spiritual potential available to any illumined soul who draws upon it; instead, they rely for justification on humanity’s failings, examples of which daily reinforce a common sense of despair. A layered veil of false premises thus obscures a fundamental truth: The state of the world reflects a distortion of the human spirit, not its essential nature. The purpose of every Manifestation of God is to effect a transformation in both the inner life and external conditions of humanity. And this transformation naturally occurs as a growing body of people, united by the divine precepts, collectively seeks to develop spiritual capacities to contribute to a process of societal change. Akin to the hard earth struck by the Master a century ago, the prevailing theories of the age may, at first, seem impervious to alteration, but they will undoubtedly fade away, and through the “vernal showers of the bounty of God”, the “flowers of true understanding” will spring up fresh and fair.

Denial of Higher Education to Bahá’í Youth in Iran

17 June 2011 

To the Believers in the Cradle of the Faith

Dearly loved friends,

We were deeply distressed to learn of the raid conducted by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence on the homes of some of the believers associated with the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) and of the arrests of some of the same devoted friends. However, the reports attesting to your steadfast determination to forge ahead with your efforts in pursuit of knowledge and learning have filled our hearts with joy.

One of the outcomes of the 1979 revolution was the dismissal of Bahá’í professors and lecturers from universities and the debarring of Bahá’í youth from institutions of higher learning. Despite the fact that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran claims to uphold equal rights for all and the fact that the civil laws of the country provide no basis for such a deprivation, and although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Iran is a signatory, clearly stipulates access to higher education as an inalienable human right, the authorities, swayed by religious prejudice and acting in direct violation of the law and of international standards, have sanctioned this discrimination as official government policy and enforce it with determination.

As a result of the requirement to specify one’s religion on the application forms for the National University Entrance Examination, Bahá’í youth were unable to enter Iranian universities as their only alternative would have been to dissimulate their faith. When the efforts of Bahá’í lecturers and students to secure redress through representations to the judicial institutions of the land proved unavailing, the Bahá’í community arranged for the lecturers who had been dismissed to teach the youth who had been denied access to universities. Many members of the community lent their support to this effort. This educational initiative, this grassroots undertaking, was thus begun through the sacrificial exertions of individuals who sought to serve the cause of learning, despite the unfavourable conditions and without imposing the least burden or expense on the government. The institute gradually expanded, and in the early 1990s, it took the name of the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education. Over time a number of other distinguished lecturers in Iran and abroad, some of whom were not even members of the Bahá’í community, began to collaborate with the Institute.

Call for Pioneers

23 May 2011 

To the Baha’is of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

Our message dated 28 December 2010 to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors briefly described the process of growth which begins to unfold in a cluster, frequently as the result of a single homefront pioneer entering into meaningful conversation with local residents. We also indicated that more advanced clusters, in which the pattern of action associated with an intensive programme of growth has been firmly established, will often serve as reservoirs of pioneers who can be dispatched to other clusters, especially on the home front—in some to initiate a systematic approach to sharing Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings and in others to strengthen the processes of expansion and consolidation that have already been established. There is no doubt that the movement of pioneers remains an indispensable feature of the spiritual enterprise in which the community of the Most Great Name is engaged.

During the Five Year Plan recently concluded, over 3,500 international pioneers entered the arena of service to reinforce the work of the Faith in myriad ways across the globe. At the same time, we were most pleased to see a surge in the movement of homefront pioneers, their numbers matching those who arose to serve in the international field and their sacrificial efforts making a distinctive contribution to the early attainment of the goal of the Plan. In the next five years, the successful prosecution of the Plan will require the services of several thousand consecrated souls who, spurred on by their love for the Blessed Beauty, will forsake their homes to settle in villages, towns and cities in order to raise to 5,000 the number of clusters with programmes of growth.